Three former Georgetown men’s basketball players were selected in the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) draft last week. Ruben Boumtje Boumtje (COL ’01) was selected in the first round, Nate Burton (COL ’01) was selected in the eighth round and Kevin Braswell (COL ’02) was selected in 10th round.

Boumtje Boumtje was selected with the third overall pick by the Fayetteville Patriots. Burton was chosen by the defending champion Asheville Altitude, and Braswell was taken by the Florida Flame.

The NBDL, which opened in 2001, serves as the NBA’s minor league, with six member teams. Since its inception, 28 NBDL players have been called up to the NBA.

Boumtje Boumtje, who played center for the Hoyas and led them to the NCAA Sweet 16 his senior year, was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers in 2001.

He played in Portland for three years before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in January 2004. This fall he participated in training camp and five preseason games with the San Antonio Spurs but did not make the regular-season team.

“Boumtje Boumtje is a savvy NBA veteran that knows how to play the game in the post and will be able to help with some of the younger guys we will have on the team,” Patriots Head Coach ike Brown said in a press release. “He gives us toughness inside with his size, strength and shot blocking ability.”

As a Trailblazer, Boumtje Boumtje appeared in 44 games in his three seasons, scoring 43 points, while bringing down 57 rebounds and blocking 17 shots.

At Georgetown, Boumtje Boumtje ranks fourth in career blocks and 10th in rebounds on Georgetown’s all-time list. As a junior he was named to the all-Big East third team, and he was co-captain of the team his senior year. In 2001 he was named the Big East scholar-athlete of the year for men’s basketball.

Burton played at Georgetown with Boumtje Boumtje, ending his collegiate career with the Sweet 16 run as well.

A swingman, Burton scored the buzzer-beater against Arkansas during the NCAA tournament to advance the Hoyas to the second round. A reserve player, Burton appeared in 128 games for Georgetown and stands 21st on the all-time steals list with 128.

After graduation Burton went on to play with the Harlem Globetrotters and BC Jyväskylä in Finland. In the summers of 2003 and 2004, Burton played with Brevard in the United States Basketball League and finished summer 2004 with Oklahoma.

“I am very pleased with the team we were able to put together,” Altitude Head Coach Joey Meyer said. “We have some good players who are really going to compete hard for the each of the roster spots.”

Braswell, who left the Hilltop the year after Boumtje Boumtje and Burton, is the all-time steals and assists leader for the Hoyas. Starting all 128 games he appeared in, he is also seventh on the all-time scoring leaders list at Georgetown. As a freshman he was named to the Big East all-rookie team. He made the all-Big East third team as a senior and earned second-team honors as a junior.

Traveling to Europe to start his professional career, Braswell played in Belgium with Tournai-Estaimpuis, in Poland with Komfort Kronoplus and, most recently, with Cimberio Novara in the Italian League.

Former Hoyas Lee Scruggs (COL ’01) and Jameel Watkins (COL ’00) have both played in the NBDL in the past. Scruggs was a member of the Altitude and was named to both the all-rookie team and all-defensive team in 2002. Watkins played a season with the Patriots.

The NBDL opens on Nov. 19 with Boumtje Boumtje’s Patriots facing off with the Roanoke Dazzle.